makes about one cup
Ingredients
1 c mayonnaise
2 tbsp half-and-half
4 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp A.1. Steak Sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method
Whisk mayonnaise, half-and-half, dry mustard, Worcestershire, and A.1. sauce in a bowl until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Chill. Serve as a dipping sauce with all kinds of crab. Enjoy!
Now in it’s 16th year, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB)’s Miami Spice program is bigger and better than ever. Don’t believe us? Tonight will prove it. For the first time ever, you can head to Miami’s only modern-day, Latin-inspired dinner and cabaret club, El Tucán {1111 SW 1 Avenue, Brickell; 305.535.0065}, for a one-night-only evening of haute Cuban cuisine, cocktails, dancing, and music... all in the name of Miami Spice.
And at El Tucán, you don’t just get a show; you get transported to another world: 1940’s Cuba, to be exact. Paying homage to that bygone era of glitz and glamour, this 21st-century cabaret promises everything from Afro-Latin to Parisian pop. It’s all performed by both renowned and emerging DJs from around the world, and a permanent 11-piece Latin-jazz orchestra curated by two-time Grammy award-winning pianist, composer, and producer Marlow Rosado. Only open on the weekends, this theater-style restaurant is the only one of its kind in the Magic City, so when the curtain goes up at 8 p.m., get ready for some Miami sophistication like you’ve never seen before. While they watch, diners will get a three-course meal from El Tucán’s Miami Spice menu—like Tostones con Ceviche de Wahoo, Ahi Tuna Taquitos, Anticucho de Res, Matcha Green Tea Molten Lava Cake, and more—as well as complimentary cocktails from Miami Spice sponsors Stella Artois, Ketel One Vodka, Don Julio Tequila, Bulleit Bourbon, Zacapa Rum, Chandon California, Terrazas de los Andes, and FIJI Water.
Want to make sure you have a really good time? Take advantage of Miami Spice’s partnership with Lyft so you don’t have to worry about driving. New users will get 20% off 2 rides with the code MIAMISPICE17, and existing users will get 20% off 2 rides with the code MIAMITEMPTATIONS. See you there!
This one-time-only event is priced at $55 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. For more information about Miami Spice, visit ILoveMiamiSpice.com.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor
If you dropped by 40 Island Avenue in Miami Beach some 50 years ago, the image would be pleasantly familiar: vacationers emerging from trendy Studebakers and Hudson Hornets, children eyeing the splash-worthy bayside swimming pool, women elegantly done up in high heels and Jackie O dresses, martinis in hand. The patina of age would only slightly obscure what we know of today as The Standard Spa, Miami Beach, a world-class spa and resort destination in Miami Beach.
That’s because, for the last 50 years, the property has aged with remarkable grace, poise, and relevance.
In the 1950s, the scenic site began life as The Monterrey Resort Motel—a setting worthy of vista-painted postcards and the envy of travelers across the globe. It remained a motel destination for a dozen years, until revered Miami architect Norman Giller introduced a spa to the property in classic MiMo style in 1963. In 1980, the property was bought out and converted to a nursing home—which remained until visionary André Balazs discovered the site in the early 2000s.
What followed was a heartfelt renovation of the property designed to restore it to its former glory, while bringing it full force into the 21st century. Balazs, a passionate collector of midcentury furniture, saw huge potential in the property—not as a hotel with a spa, but as a spa with a hotel. And beyond the rudiments of luxury accommodations, Balazs envisioned it as a beautiful, enduring showcase of the midcentury modern aesthetic that gave it rise. To that end, he curated individual design pieces from Denmark to round out the renovated property, gilding an already dynamic setting.
When The Standard opened its doors to an eager public in 2005, it was a true revelation; Balazs had managed to honor the property’s storied history while ensuring modern conveniences were never an afterthought. And as any spa and hotel property crafted with love and purpose, The Standard was built with a complete experience in mind. To wit, the soon-christened Lido Lounge brought the services of spa and hotel together—a space as much an exhibit of 1950s design as it was a convergence of luxury, relaxation, community, and fine dining.
The culinary program at The Standard has always been one inspired by healthy living—a creative catalogue of Mediterranean flavors that mirror what one would find on the azure coasts of southern Europe. But this, too, has evolved in the 10-plus years since The Standard opened.
As one might imagine, the original Lido Lounge favorites were a seamless blend of seafood-forward dishes and Italian-French flavors. The perennial classic Branzino still holds sway on the menu, while reimagined comfort foods like Lasagna—layered with squash, cashew nut cheese, and veggie sausage—bridge healthful dining and classic comforts. These dishes, while clearly an evolution of the old staples, have become the property’s new standards.
And yet, more evolution was in store. Eager to leverage an inimitable outdoor space adjacent to the pool and the bay, the kitchen soon saw increasing interest in alfresco dining. Balazs and his team—ever in tune with guest interest and shifting trends—adapted. Shortly after 2010, the hotel installed a grill outdoors to accommodate weekend barbecues. This became so popular that Balazs had an entire kitchen built to serve the growing bayside revelers. Little surprise, then, that the dining focus shifted entirely to the then-crowned Bayside Grill, complete with a canopy to guard against capricious shifts in weather.
Indoors, the Lido Lounge continues to serve as a private event space, or—on busier evenings—an extension of the Bayside Grill. And with the shift in venue has come a shift in menu. Chef Oscar Rubin, in collaboration with a devoted kitchen team, has introduced new menu items that carry the Mediterranean “sun-kissed” ethos to the next level. “Lite” bites, like the Burratina with spring pea crème and Ouzo-Cured Salmon, dock alongside farm-fresh features à la Heirloom Tomato Salad with kefir yogurt, Zucchini Blossom Pasta, and sea-focused entrées best showcased in the Caribbean Lobster Tail and Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi. These transitions evince a strong organic foundation, and a near-obsession with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients.
Naturally, a thoughtfully assembled global wine list—featuring a healthy selection of biodynamic wines—brings the health-and-leisure ethos full circle. But while The Standard and its nested concepts have grown with elegance, it ensures that well-being extends beyond the reaches of spa treatments, luxury accommodations, environmentally conscious winemaking, and world-class meals. In fact, the staff affirms the property is about far more than that—it’s about a global responsibility that ensures liberty, equality, and freedom for everyone.
Ambitious for a spa/hotel property? Perhaps. But The Standard is making good on its commitment, articulated earlier this year in the brand’s revised mission statement. And to start, they are honing in on what they have done so well since day one: crafting an unparalleled dining experience.
Launched in July, The Standard will host the Chefs Stand Up series, headlined by notable female chefs. These pop-up dinners will not only showcase exemplary culinary talent, but will benefit charities across Miami and the nation whose mission is consonant with the values of freedom and equality. There will be more such dinners and pop-ups to come, but for The Standard, it is important that the long-revered destination becomes the standard-bearer for business leaders who understand the need to be civically engaged.
At the end of the day, this is really what The Standard is about. Yes, their dedication to service is unmatched; yes, their aesthetic is both keenly crafted and historically on point; and yes, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better spa, hotel, or dining experience in Florida. But while new standards are set on property daily in dining and hospitality, so, too, are new commitments made—to a better Miami, a better nation, and a better world.
Let that be The Standard that gracefully lives on until the next midcentury.
Chefs Stand Up
Launched in July 2017, this dining series allows patrons to experience eminent talent while offering support to non-profits working to end inequality and deprivation all over the world. Tickets are $95 and include drinks, tax, and gratuity. All of the proceeds go to a charity of the chef’s choice. For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit standardhotels.com/miami-beach. [Readers: The Standard is offering DiningOut readers a special discount to the series with the code DININGOUT!] August 23—Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson (Food & Wine Best New Chef 2017), Kismet (LA) Benefitting Charity: Planned Parenthood September 21—Angela Dimayuga (James Beard Rising Star Chef Nominee 2016), Mission Chinese Food (NY) Benefitting Charity: National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum
Happy dining!
By Jeffrey Steen | Managing Editor
Dobladitas de Jaiba from Cantina La Veinte
serves two, with three dobladitas per person
Ingredients
Crab:
6 Soft-Shell Blue Crabs
2 eggs
7 oz flour
9 oz Panko bread crumbs
Salt, to taste
Jalapeño Sauce:
15 jalapeños
0.75 c + 2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp white vinegar
0.5 c onion
1 garlic clove
Salt, to taste
Tacos:
6 flour or corn tortillas
Method
For the jalapeño sauce: Cut the jalapeños lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place the jalapeños, onion, garlic clove, and white vinegar in a blender to combine. Slowly emulsify by adding olive oil to the blended mixture and season with salt to taste. Set aside the mixture.
For the crab: Cut each crab down the middle and set aside. Place flour in a bowl. Lightly whisk eggs in one bowl and place Panko bread crumbs in another bowl. Season the crab lightly with salt. Place it in the flour, egg and then the Panko. Fry in the olive oil. Repeat all of the above steps for each of the six crabs.
To serve, warm flour or corn tortillas. Pour a bit of the sauce in the bottom of 6 tequila glasses. Wrap one fried crab in a tortilla to make a taco; repeat six times. Place each taco or “dobladita” in a tequila glass and serve.
Enjoy!
The Perfect Hemingway at StripSteak by Michael Mina
Hanging Chicken at Los Fuegos by Francis Mallmann
When it comes to high-end Mexican cuisine in Miami, there’s nothing better than Cantina La Veinte {495 Brickell Avenue, Brickell; 786.623.6135} and Tacology {701 South Miami Avenue, Brickell; 786.347.5368}. While the first brings a haute taste of Mexico City, the latter, a Mercado-style restaurant, was born in fall 2016 right here in Miami. Despite their slight differences, both are owned by Cinbersol Group, both sit in Brickell and both share one very key ingredient: the ultra-talented Executive Chef Santiago Gomez, who came to Miami from Mexico City. Having worked at the likes of Nobu Miami, Nobu Mexico City, and DANIEL by Daniel Boulud, Chef Santiago has ruled the Mexican food scene in Miami since he first opened Cantina La Veinte in the coveted Icon Brickell tower in 2014. And while we probably shouldn’t speak for everyone, we’re going to anyway—his food is so good that Miamians just can’t get enough.
That said, we sat down with the Mexican food guru to find out what he loves about the cuisine he cooks so well, and of course, what to eat and drink at his two Miami restaurants. Here’s what he had to say:
When did you first decide you wanted to be a chef? What inspired you to do it?
About 15 years ago, I was working as a delivery man for a seafood company. Everyday, I went to the airport and picked up all the seafood that came in overnight from Ensenada, in Baja California. After that, I delivered the seafood to the best restaurants in Mexico City. I got to know all of the kitchens and their chefs. That made me want to study culinary arts.
Why are you so passionate about Mexican cuisine?
It’s the food I grew up with. I love eating and cooking it! Mexican cuisine is so diverse in flavor, color, and recipes.
Why are Cantina La Veinte and Tacology perfect for Miami?
Miami is very a Latin city, but there were no high-end Mexican restaurants here. Mexican food is more than street food, and we wanted to show people that. Brickell is the place to be right now in Miami! A lot of people are moving to Brickell, and a neighborhood needs to have restaurants in order to bring it to life.
What’s the best cooking advice you’ve ever received?
This is very simple for me: “Cook with love.”
Do you have a mentor in the culinary world?
Yes, it’s Chef Thomas Buckley from Nobu. He inspired me to be a better cook and showed me everything that’s possible in a kitchen.
Say someone is coming to Cantina La Veinte for the very first time. What should they order?
Dobladitas de Jaiba, our soft-shell crab tacos. Since opening the first Cantina in Mexico, it’s been the most popular item on the menu. It’s changed the way people view tacos. (Here’s the recipe!)
What’s your favorite dish to make (and eat!) at Tacology?
To make? Tacos Al Pastor. To eat? Tacos Al Pastor. (Get the recipe here!)
Choosing from either restaurant… what’s your favorite cocktail?
The “La Catrina.” It’s made with coconut milk, rum, and horchata, and you can get it at Tacology.
As the Executive Chef of both Tacology and Cantina La Veinte, how do you separate the two?
I love working with both concepts. I really don’t separate them… I see Mexican food as one.
Happy dining!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor
makes two tacos
Ingredients
2 tortillas
3.6 oz Pastor Puerco
2 tbsp onion, finely chopped ·
1 tsp cilantro chiffonade
4 slices of pineapple, thinly sliced
Method
Cook the meat in a skillet and divide it between the two tortillas. Garnish the meat with the chopped onion, cilantro, and pineapple.
Enjoy!
Watermelon Salad
Fried Green Tomato BLT at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar